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f-Stop Indicators

I think it would be really helpful to include f-Stop indicators that expand toward and away from the focal point within the DoF tab of the Camera Properties panel. Interactively controlled by the left/right arrows of the Lens F-Stop, they would make DoF setting a snap.

While script files are useful, having to add a null, remembering how to set it up, etc. is too cumbersome unless it's used often.

What I'm asking for is a pair of min/max f-Stop dotted lines that work identically to the focal plane indicator, (which is interactive as the arrows are used.) Consistency within LW should be the GUI goal, rather than relying on scripts or plugins to compensate. It doesn't seem like it would require a major coding effort to implement for a future release. While subtle, DoF goes a long way towards selling a shot in certain applications of my work, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

Think Thicken, which has a terrific interface. Select Thicken and after a brief delay, orange instructions appear onscreen. With it's interactive slider using just the left mouse button to drag the new geometry in or out, it's simple, intuitive, and easier to learn and remember. The devs knocked that tool interface out of the park.

Easy-to-learn and simple-to-use tools are two of the most compelling improvements to draw new members to the LightWave community. After that, good docs and useful tutorials.

Focus circles are nice but I came to the conclusion that having actual camera "plane" indicators are much more usefull, especially when working in 3d view
Please support me by buying the commercial version of that tool

Rather than plug your plugin for a dedicated section of the forum and thread requesting LW improvements, (No pun intended.) I'd much rather see improvements that enable LW to evolve, rather than rely on additional plugins. (See previous entries in this thread.)

While I am not "anti-plugin," (I think it benefits Newtek to license plugins where applicable) in this instance, improvements that make the existing panel controls more interactive are preferable, which is what this discussion is about.

Additional functionality for those who desire it are where plugins excel. The camera plane indicators in your plugin could be considered redundant when VPR is available to monitor the output, but I can see where someone might like them. To each their own.

I don't really see VPR as a precise-enough alternative, esp. when dealing with fairly narrow DoF situations. I definitely see merit in getting proper indicators in the camera gizmo itself, and agree they should be part of it, not third-party add-ons, in this case. Personally, I'd like to see the entire camera interactivity switch to something more akin to what Ryan Roye's RRCam offers, with most parameters accessible from gizmo through different "adjustment modes" but realize that's probably not likely any time soon.

That said, if there could be some SDK mechanism for third-party devs to add augmentations to the camera gizmo interactivity, that'd be even better. Something like an RRCam infrastructure where devs could add and register additional modes with their own gizmos, and they just get added to the overall "camera adjust mode" list at the end.

That said, if there could be some SDK mechanism for third-party devs to add augmentations to the camera gizmo interactivity, that'd be even better. Something like an RRCam infrastructure where devs could add and register additional modes with their own gizmos, and they just get added to the overall "camera adjust mode" list at the end.

Please clarify how you use LayoutTool to override and extend the interactions associated with the existing camera tool (or other existing tool, for that matter)?

I'm not talking about creating a new "camera control gizmo", as RRCam does, that's not what I'm seeking. I referenced RRCam solely as an example of designed-in extensibility, but I'm seeking that designed-in extensibility from the native camera gizmo, not some new gizmo created from scratch.

well.. you cant then.. in my world... i simply choose "give me functionality X" plugin with handles and not... makes no difference to me whether its native or not... why does it need to be added to the "camera" gizmo, which, is not any different than the light or item gizmo..